From Six To Last Man Standing
by momoirousagichan
Summary: All Kyoko wanted to do was to become an actress. Or a princess. Maybe a fairy too.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Acknowledgments:** Jhiz and leavesfallingup for not even trying to talk me out of this. Jhiz and Runadaemon for beta-reading and soundboarding.

I don't own Skip Beat.**  
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><p>"Ow!"<p>

Kyoko pulled back a cotton ball with disinfectant and sighed. "You really shouldn't be picking fights, Sho-chan."

With a dark glare from his eyes and a low growl rumbling on his chest, he said, "I already heard this from the old man. I don't need to hear it from you too."

Instantly contrite, Kyoko bit her lower lip and apologetically answered, "Yes... I'm sorry," she raised her hand again to treat the small cut on his jaw. It was small - nothing that would mar Sho-chan's handsome face permanently.

"Besides," Sho-chan continued to mutter. "I didn't pick the fight. I was just caught in between some moron who pissed off Akazame..."

"Aka...zame?" Kyoko tilted her head to the side. She discarded the cotton ball next to her on the floor and picked up a tube of ointment from the first aid kit she brought along with her.

Sho gave her an exasperated look. "Kyoko," he said as he shifted where he sat beside her, leaning against the side of his bed. "You seriously need to get out more."

Kyoko smiled uneasily. "Well... the ryokan has a lot of customers this week and I need to help out whenever I can."

Sho-chan sighed as Kyoko dabbed ointment on her hand. "Anyway," he continued as she gently placed the ointment on his wound. "Akazame is some high school guy who beats the crap out of anyone who pisses him off. He's known by every delinquent in Kinki. That's how he got his nickname - wherever he goes, blood flows."

"And he hit you?" Kyoko frowned disapprovingly as she reached for and opened a band-aid.

If things were going to be like this, she wasn't sure she liked Sho pursuing a music career. She was beside herself when he came home all bloodied up and then his poor parents started freaking out alongside her. Well, it was just a small scratch, but in retrospect, she was really horrified and suddenly understood why Sho-chan's father didn't want him to go around pursuing music. Sho-chan once told her that playing in places that were not the most desirable was part of pursuing music. It wasn't at all like how she envisioned it; he wasn't in a stadium where he's the biggest star in Japan. On the other hand, Sho-chan really good at music and liked performing so it was really important to him.

"No!" Sho-chan answered as she placed the plaster on the wound. "That guy walks around with a baseball bat with nails on it. If he got to me, it'd take more than just a band aid to get me going again."

Kyoko was horrified. Who wouldn't be? Some troublesome person walks around with a baseball bat with nails on them? Who does that? What's more, Sho-chan looked exhilarated at the thought of being in the middle of a brawl even if he wasn't actually a part of it.

"Anyway, I was really pissed off," he concluded. "That guy is trouble and the police showed to break up the fight. Everyone scrambled out of the place and I got pushed and hit the table. At least the bassist pulled me up and we ran off. Otherwise, the old man would be picking me up from a police box."

"Oh my..." Kyoko commented worriedly. "The police?" Oji-sama wouldn't like that.

"Yeah..." he nodded. "It was really annoying. We just finished our set and were feeling happy about it when he and those thugs came along. I met his eyes though-" he raised his middle finger, "-so I gave him a load of this."

"Eh?" Kyoko guilelessly imitated the gesture. She looked at it in wonder as to what it meant.

"It means..." He explained the meaning and her eyes widened in scandalized surprise.

"Sho-chan!" Kyoko immediately balled her hand into a fist, clenching and unclenching it as if trying to mentally cleanse the thought that she could ever do such a rude gesture.

"Hey, I was angry!" he answered defensively. "My cut hurt and it could have ruined my face! I couldn't be an idol that way. You can't call me a man if I couldn't show him how angry I was!"

He did have a point, Kyoko sighed in resignation. It was still better than having him get into fistfights, especially with some guy called Akazame who carries around a nailed baseball bat.

She wasn't comfortable talking about such things so she tried to change the subject. "Oh yeah, Sho-chan..." she said as she reached behind her. "Because you were such a great sport while I was cleaning your wound..." she produced a packet of his favorite snack. "Here's your reward," she smiled happily.

Sho-chan's face lit up and cried out, "Oh yeah!" as he snatched the pudding from her hands and opened it. Kyoko watched with pleasure the pure bliss reflected on his face as he took his first bite. "Sho-chan..." she softly said as she raised her eyes to meet his.

"What is it?" he turned to her.

"The gig went pretty well, didn't it?" she asked precariously.

Interest lit up in his eyes and a smile stretched across his face. "Yep!" he enthusiastically answered. Then he started talking about the rush of performing in front of a crowd, the reaction of the small following the band was picking up...

Kyoko listened to his story in contentment, soon forgetting about that awful yanki Akazame. Sho-chan's voice sounded almost giddy, and his eyes were sparkling until he started yawning and climbed on the bed. Then, she discreetly left his room, first aid kit in hand, to make her way out of the private area reserved for Sho-chan's family. It was a small part of the ryokan quite isolated from where the guests stayed. Kyoko used to stay there whenever her mother would leave her with the Fuwa family. After starting junior high school, it became rather inappropriate so she settled for one of the rooms reserved for live-in employees.

"Kyoko-chan..."

Kyoko turned in the direction of the voice and found Oji-sama and Oba-sama sitting at a low table with their evening tea. She smiled at them and bowed.

"Thank you for seeing to Sho, Kyoko-chan," Oji-sama said with a kind smile.

She quickly raised her hand and shook it. "It was nothing at all, oji-sama." It was after work-hours and Sho-chan's parents instructed her that when her work hours are over, she should address them as oji-sama and oba-sama just like she did when she was much younger. She really didn't understood why, but it's likely her perk for being friends with Sho-chan.

"Would you like to have some tea with us, Kyoko-chan?" Oba-sama asked.

"No, thank you," she refused gently. "I need to get back to my room so I can finish my homework." She knew where this was going to go. She knew his parents were adamantly against Sho-chan's music. They would most likely attempt to convert Kyoko to their way of thinking so she could influence Sho-chan into working at the ryokan instead. She usually saw things eye-to-eye with Sho-chan's parents, but they couldn't understand their son's love for music at all.

Sho-chan looked so happy talking about it just now. As long as he's happy, she is too. His parents will just have to live with that.

But it seems so nice, she thought as she made her way to her room. Sho-chan will get what he wants.

Then, she'll get what she wants. She was sure that if and when she sees Corn again, she will be able to tell him that she finally has her Prince Charming. Well, Corn told her that they will never see each other again, but she refused to believe it. She will see him again.

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><p><strong>Chapter Notes:<strong>

Taira mentioned that he is from Kinki. The Kinki (Region) is another name for the Kansai Region, the same region where Kyoto is located. Since it was never (hasn't been) mentioned in the manga exactly which part of Kinki he is from, I use it as plot device that's he's also from Kyoto. Either way, he was known all over Kinki so he'd still be known in Kyoto, unless that was an exaggeration.

I know I said that I quit fanfiction. When I was finally getting comfortable with the decision, sensei suddenly introduced a new character who I find so awesome. Also, an entire treasure trove of characterization of him crammed in one chapter that has never happened in SB before. I cannot resist for I actually like Taira's character. I'll try to keep the story as light-hearted as I can, some of the thing I came up with are kinda dark.. Let's all hope it won't come to that.

Meh... prologue so it isn't much yet. If this prologue would have any impact of the overall story, it will only be as a detail. Next chapter, present day.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Acknowledgment: **Jhiz and Runadaemon for beta-reading

I don't own Skip Beat.**  
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><p>"In what part of the world is Cain Heel a street performer?"<p>

The question came loud and clear through the empty hallway. Sestuka Heel turned around and found Tragic Marker's lead actor, Murasame Taira-san, looking at her with a smug, self-assured look on his face.

Street performer? she fumed internally. If he only knew the person he was insulting, he wouldn't say things like that. And who the hell did he think he was, coming up to her with implied and insulting questions knowing full well that Cain-nii-san was with her?

She braced herself to deliver a scathing answer to him, but-

Stop! she halted herself. The last time some random guy hassled her, Cain-nii-san took them down in a murderous rampage and lost himself enough to be confused about who he was. She can't let that happen again!

Not unless he was acting as BJ anyway. Things are different now. It was no longer just some random punk on the street, it was the movie's lead actor. They were on set and will be shooting in an hour! They can't shoot if the lead actor is beaten half-dead.

"Well?" Murasame-san pressed harder, taking a step forward.

No, she won't be baited! She shouldn't even care. The only person worthwhile was Cain-nii-san! Once that thought was settled, Setsuka shrugged nonchalantly and turned around, completely ignoring Murasame-san.

"He-hey!" he called back. "I'm asking you a question!" When she didn't look at him, he almost angrily continued, "The two of you arrived two hours late and you don't even attempt to be apologetic or even cordial to everyone else! Don't you know what kind of an inconvenience it is to everyone?"

She sharply turned back to him - being poked on her and nii-san's sense of professionalism and how it has inconvenienced everyone irked her. Cain-nii-san was hard to drag out of bed and nearly impossible to get moving, but he was still a professional. "We were here by ten," she answered disdainfully. "If Director Konoe was able to string two words together, we would have been introduced earlier." The man was practically purple when they finished their conversation.

Murasame-san looked surprised and slightly affronted. "I-is that so?"

She tilted her head and gave him a bored and disinterested look. "That all?" she asked.

When he didn't answer, she turned around again and walked back in the direction she came.

"Wait!" Murasame-san called out.

Setsuka didn't attempt to cover up a sound of annoyance before turning back to him.

"What's your name?"

"Huh?" The question was so unexpected, she was taken by surprise and almost slipped out of character. She turned to him and saw he looked just as surprised.

"Director Konoe introduced Cain Heel but not you," he explained quickly. "Heel-san doesn't speak Japanese, does he? Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed you for a translator. If you're going to be our only way to communicate with him, we should have at least been introduced to you too."

"It doesn't matter what my name is," Sestuka answered. "The person you're working with is him, not me. I'll do my part to make sure my brother has no problems with following directions or anything like that. Since his Japanese is not as fluent as mine, I'll do my best to get him up to speed with everyone else."

Having said her piece, Setsuka started to walk away, relieved that Murasame-san didn't answer back anymore. As fast as her usual pace of walking as Setsu could be, she strutted back to where Cain-nii-san was waiting for her.

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><p>Taira watched at the girl's retreating form, his eyes trailing her long legs and cute little behind and the tiny waist shrouded in an outfit that didn't really leave anything much to the imagination. He was relieved to learn that she was actually Cain Heel's little sister and not some girlfriend or groupie or weird assistant.<p>

A sister! he happily thought in his head. The cute little girl in the hot pants was Heel-san's little sister! He has a chance! He knew, being a former yanki, that no sane, self-respecting man would ever hit on a sister of a gang member unless he has a death wish or, at the very least, earned respect. That explained why Heel-san gave him the death glare earlier after their introduction! He was being protective of his little sister. Cain Heel would surely beat the crap out of him if he ever thought about hitting on his little sister.

Now he understood, he thought in relief.

Then a sobering truth hit him. Something he left out... He remembered the request from Director Konoe that needed to be accomplished before shooting started. He figured that he could kill two birds with one stone - pick a fight with Cain Heel and get to talk to that cute girl. She really had a way of averting the subject and distracting him, so now, he really had to do something about "checking Cain Heel-san's temperature".

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><p>"What took you?" Cain asked as Setsu sauntered into a separate area where they had their lunch before shooting started.<p>

"Nothing," she answered smoothly as she set down a bottle of water in front of him. "The icky lead actor was trying to talking to me," she giggled carelessly as she sat down beside him and picked up her packed lunch and placed it on her lap.

Cain slightly frowned. Well, it's not like Setsu noticed how Murasame looked at her during the pre-shoot meeting. Cain knew that the actor was likely to be hitting on her or something like that and Setsu just didn't notice - considering the core person (Mogami-san).

He laid down his packed lunch on a vacant chair by them and stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Toilet," he answered shortly.

"Don't think you can get away from eating everything!" she laughingly called as he stepped out of the room. "You have to finish everything or you won't have enough energy for the shoot!"

Cain gave her a small, sardonic smile as he stepped out of the room.

As soon as he did, he spotted Murasame Taira standing in the hallway, staring emptily at... well, at him now that he was standing there. He really didn't know what to do. Cain's Japanese was supposed to be shaky enough to need a translator so he couldn't really carry on a conversation on his own.

He didn't need to go to the toilet that badly, but it was a convenient excuse to assess the actor. He moved towards him, to the direction of the restroom, but kept his eyes on him. He had no intentions of doing anything, just to check out what he's like.

As he moved past him, his attention was caught by the low voice of Murasame spoken in English with a bit of an accent. "Your little sister is pretty cute."

Cain turned to him with a bit of surprise. He was not aware that Murasame knew English. A nuisance for him, really. Because now, Cain was compelled to understand his meaning instead of ignoring it and passing it off something one with limited Japanese skills wouldn't understand... especially something bad about Setsu, which he can never allow to happen.

"What?" Cain found himself asking the actor.

"She's very cute," he repeated. "Totally my type." He raised his eyebrow challengingly at him. "I'm actually a pretty nice guy. You wouldn't mind if I asked her to walk outside in the grounds for a while with me, would you, nii-san?"

Instinctively, Cain moved to press Murasame against the wall, and the actor yelped in surprise.

What the hell? hethought exasperatedly behind his glare and the pressure he was pressing against the guy. He was baiting him. It was almost like Murasame was looking for a fight.

"What the f-"

"I already know that my little sister is cute," Cain cut him off in a low threatening tone to emphasize his point. "I don't need some stranger to tell me that."

"What the hell is your problem?" Murasame asked. He shoved his hands against his chest, slightly putting a small distance between them. At the back of his head, he noted that Setsu has talked to him because Murasame knew that they were siblings.

Recovering quickly, he answered, "I don't like people looking at her. Got that?"

He had to hand it to Murasame; he really was quite a strong guy. If he was even intimidated by him, he didn't show it. He also had a lot of strength in that shove. Cain instinctively knew that he wasn't just any other actor who played tough but he could hold his own when the time came.

"Murasame-sannn~!" a perky voice called as out popped the lead actress, Manaka-san, from where the other actors of the movie were having their meal. In a cheerful voice, she said, "Hurry up or all Mitsui-san's roasted chestnuts will be..." She suddenly stopped at the sight of them and shouted, "Murasame-san!"

Suddenly, several members of the cast rushed from behind Manaka-san and gawked at the commotion. Setsu too, Cain saw through his peripheral vision, popped out of where they stayed.

"Nii-san!" she exclaimed as she marched towards them.

At the same time, Manaka-san moved towards them, and the two ladies stopped upon reaching them.

"Nii-san," Setsu scolded. "I told you to save that for when you're shooting and don't go beating people up just because they annoy you!"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean - 'don't go beating people up just because they annoy you'?" Manaka-san screamed at Setsu. "What does he think he's doing?"

"He doesn't go out and pick fights, you know," Setsu answered, glaring at Manaka-san. Then she pointed at Murasame and said, "He obviously did something to upset my brother."

"Did something? Murasame-san?" Manaka-san huffed. "Excuse me, but everyone here gets along with everybody else since we started shooting last December. And Murasame-san happens to be one of the nicest ones here. Suddenly, you two come along three months into it and something like this happens! Obviously, Heel-san was the one who did something to upset Murasame-san!"

"Manaka-chan..." Murasame said in a cajoling tone to stop the lead actress from her ranting.

"Oh really?" Setsu wasn't letting up and took a step forward towards Manaka-san. Cain took a cue from what Murasame did and he rushed to Setsu's side and held her back by the arm.

"Setsu, that's enough," he firmly ordered in a tone only she could hear. Actually, how Mogami-san was acting at the moment was in character for Setsu, but caused unnecessary backlash between her and the rest of the cast. If anyone was supposed to get trouble from the Tragic Marker cast, it was supposed to be him.

"Nii-san..." she looked up at him in protest.

But before she could rant on, Director Konoe showed up and clapped his hands. "Alright, break it off... Break it off," he good-naturedly announced. "We start shooting in 45 minutes so let's all finish our lunches, people!"

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><p>Several cast members followed the director's orders and wandered back to where they originally were on break. Meanwhile, Taira watched as Director Konoe led the Heels back to where they were eating. He then turned to Manaka-chan. "What was that all about?"<p>

"Murasame-san," Manaka-chan fumed. "How come you're not as angry as I am? You're the lead actor of this movie! You shouldn't let anyone in production treat you like that! Let alone some unknown actor; I don't care if he's from abroad!"

He really shouldn't allow the affront, but he was trying to start a fight with Heel-san on orders of the director so he would have to be fine with it. "Don't worry about it, Manaka-chan," he answered with an uneasy laugh.

"There's something wrong with that guy!" Manaka-chan continued huffily. "You've been nothing but super-duper nice to everyone so why would he be treating you like that?"

"It's really OK," he tried to placate her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Director Konoe step out of the area where the Heel siblings were.

"Murasame-san," Director Konoe motioned Taira to him.

Manaka-chan straightened up as Director Konoe walked up to them. "Hmph! Don't let the director think you're wrong, Murasame-san!" she said before going back inside.

Once she was gone, Taira walked up to Director Konoe and the director grinned, "Well, good job. Have you assessed what kind of actor you're going to be working with?"

Now that it finally sunk in, he felt his knees buckle slightly. When Cain Heel pushed him to the wall, it didn't even take the actor much of an effort to do so. If he put his weight into it, Taira was kinda sure he would be crushed or injured in some way. He'd met a lot of overprotective brothers in his time, but nothing like Heel-san. "Yes," he answered weakly. "I think Heel-san is man enough to play BJ."

"And...?" Director Konoe wanted to know. "Do you think that he'll be able to to play with as much intensity til the very end?"

He will actually play the character who will eventually kill BJ in the end, so his feelings about Cain's potential was important for production.

"Yes," he answered with a smile, though knowing his voice was a little raspy.

He couldn't show his weakness. Not to the director, not to Cain Heel. Now that he knew Heel-san's weakness, he was sure he could put it to good use.

And, as a bonus, he got to know what the cute girl's name was.

"Good, good," Director Konoe happily answered. "I look forward to the shoot later then." Then he slapped his shoulder as he headed off.

Taira took a deep breath, summoning the respected Kuu Hizuri's acting spirit to get his cool back before heading back to where the rest of the cast were having lunch.

"Oh," Director Konoe called out, turning back to him. "Murasame-kun?"

"Sir?"

The director smiled bemusedly and said, "I don't know what you did to anger Heel-san off, but good work. However, Manaka-chan seems much more ferocious than you are."

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><p>Setsuka finally calmed down after drinking half of the water from the bottle.<p>

"What was that all about?" Cain-nii-san asked.

She jumped at the question, recovered, and flipped her hair as she sat down on her chair. "I can't let anyone talk trash about my brother."

"She really wasn't talking trash about me," Cain-nii-san answered.

Setsuka picked up her chopsticks and looked at him. "Well, what about you? Why were you picking on Murasame-san anyway?"

As far as she knew, the only thing that could tick her big brother was her, remembering that time outside Jeanne d'Arc with those hoodlums who were hitting on her. Well, it's not like she has been with Cain Heel enough to know what his other pet peeves were. But it couldn't be her, right? Murasame-san didn't even know her. She wasn't even introduced. He only wanted to know her name because she was, indirectly, going to be working with them.

"He annoyed me," Cain-nii-san shrugged.

"Nii-san..." she scolded him. "I already said before that you're not allowed to kill anyone. Save it for the shoot."

"Alright, alright," he answered in an almost-patronizing tone.

All of the sudden, he reached out his hand, wrapped it around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

Kyoko stiffened at the motion.

It felt a little awkward because she was not used to being held by anyone for anything. It was also because she suddenly felt the clicking once more of internal locks tumbling.

Hiding behind the excuse that it was out-of-character for her big brother to show affection like that, she tried to squirm out of the embrace, but Cain-nii-san tightened the hold and lightly squeezed her shoulder. Then she felt like he hesitated, moved his hand, settled it on her head and started patting it, then he said, "You shouldn't really worry about non-sensical things like that, Setsu. It's my job to look after you, not the other way around."

Taking up with her senpai's way to win a conversation by covering it up with a joke, Kyoko shrugged the uneasy feeling away and recalled Setsu's soul back in. "What are you talking about, nii-san?" she answered cheekily and managed to shrug away from the hug. "How else would you be able to get around on the set without me translating for you and how would anyone know that you're eating your meals if I wasn't around?"

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><p>"Sho!" Shoko-san tried to catch up to him as he stalked towards his bedroom.<p>

Sho stopped just as he reached the door, sharply turned and glowered at her. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" And because she looked like she was thinking of some excuse for it, he snapped, " And don't tell me you didn't know. You obviously did! It's no wonder you've been trying to get me away from the TV for a couple of days now."

They had an early evening today because he had a lot of appearances for promotion for his new single the day after.

He was going through some stuff sent in by the office when he saw something that really upset him. Only when he looked further into it did his manager notice and practically tried to pry it away from him. Now, he understood why she was acting strangely for the last couple of days. It was the exact same behavior she had when Kyoko got into Dark Moon.

Shoko-san just looked at him blankly and sighed. "Because I knew you'd react exactly this way," she answered.

"Exactly what did she do that got her into the radar?" Sho asked angrily.

Shoko-san stared at him for a few minutes before relenting and finally answered, "During the Dark Moon Send-Off Party, she showed up all dressed up and pretty, but she admitted that she didn't intend to dress up at all and it was all because of-"

"Tsuruga?" Sho finished angrily. It was just like his gullible childhood friend not to understand the implications of accepting stupid presents like clothes from smooth-talking guys like that gorge-star.

"We...well..." Shoko-san hesitantly shrugged. "She was interviewed alongside Tsuruga Ren, but she said that her appearance had something more to do with Kijima Hidehito so-"

"The pretty boy actor?" Sho vehemently asked.

"I'm not really sure I understood the whole thing," Shoko-san shook her head. "From what I saw on TV, she said that she did it as some kind of dare from Kijima, and that he was kind of responsible for how she looked. And this morning, while you were recording, Asami-san mentioned something about Kijima being Kyoko-chan's escort to the party."

"Her what?" Sho's eyebrows shot up. "Not Tsuruga?" Then he nearly shouted, "What the hell is she doing with pretty boys like Kijima?"

This was preposterous! The only person he had ever acknowledged as a rival was Tsuruga- Kyoko-related or otherwise. No matter what happened, in the end, his enemy was Tsuruga Ren. Not that nuisance Reino with his moronic band, and most definitely not some playboy actor- Why the hell was Kyoko accepting clothes from him anyway? What the hell?

Shoko-san's face turned a little stern. "If that's what you're worrying about, you're underestimating Kyoko-chan." Then she looked him in the eye. "Remember that time at Studio Beat when you dumped Kyoko-chan and told her that the only way she could get her revenge on you is if by reaching the top of the entertainment industry? She's only several spots away from that. When she finally gets there, what are you going to do?"

Sho just stared at Shoko-san as the words hit home. He remembered it well. The reason why he kept feeding Kyoko's hate for him: as she became more and more passionate about her dislike, the more she was sure to think of him. So if he made her hate him, she would surely continue thinking about him until the time was right.

Well, the time had come. The problem was, he didn't think it'd be this quick. He didn't have a plan...

...not for that anyway.

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><p><strong>Chapter Notes:<strong>

Taira is someone who is aiming for Hollywood and admires Kuu. Surely he has taken time and effort to learn English. Anyway, he does read credits to Hollywood movies, meaning he is able to speak and/or read English. Based on experience, speaking a different language with a different set of letters/characters is much easier than reading. If not, he can in this fanfic :D

Since Setsu is a translator, that would mean that Cain's Japanese is kind of lacking. Considering that the Heel sibling are half-Japanese, I didn't want to make him totally immobile throughout the fanfic. Even you, the reader, would know several phrases.

Other notes to be used in future chapters: The movie is Tragic Marker, directed by Director Konoe, Jack Darrell/Black Jack/BJ is played by Cain Heel. The lead actor is Murasame Taira, lead actress is Manaka, and the old lady with the chestnuts is Mitsui.

Well, to those who poses questions about what this story is all about, I really have no clue. However, I can say that the clue can be drawn out on the fic's title and I will be gluing up several random ideas and hope to make it into a feasible story that will make sense. I don't know why I keep on writing continuation fics... I'm likely to be a glutton for shooting myself on the foot for bricks walls when new canon chapters come out.

Next chapter: why Sho was so pissed which is also the main root of this story. Updates will come... well, I'm running on beta-reader time because they have lives and I grammar suck. The point of having two betareaders was so one could do it when the other is unavailable, but my hands are tied when both seem to be unavailable at the same time.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Acknowledgments:** Jhiz for soundboarding and Runadaemon for marathon soundboard and beta-reading.

I don't own Skip Beat.**  
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><p>"Here you go, nii-san," Setsuka handed Cain his mug of coffee before settling down for breakfast. "Please eat breakfast while you're doing that."<p>

"Thank you, Setsu." He answered without turning his attention away from the script he was reading, but obediently reached out for a slice of toast. Even though BJ doesn't have any lines, it was still important to know his cues and where he will need to move so he could improvise properly. Setsuka left him alone and turned to the newspapers and other mail that the hotel staff delivered earlier.

President Takarada mentioned that he would send some necessities for their other work through the hotel mail since neither of them would have a reason to stop in LME for the next few days.

She sifted through the pile. She opened an unlabelled manila envelope and found a script of Box "R" for the next episode. She laid it down on the table and proceeded to opened another envelope and saw some paperwork for Tsuruga-san, which made her uneasy because those were meant to be his private documents. If she let her eyes rove over it, she would see just how much he'd be making for a commercial he's due to shoot in a few days.

"This is for you, Tsuruga-san," She laid the contract near him, distinguishing items meant for Tsuruga Ren from the ones for Cain Heel. Things like contracts had to be sent back to the office as soon as possible and it would be a waste of time dilly-dallying on their characters to work that conversation.

Without missing a beat, Tsuruga-san turned to the paperwork and said, "Thank you, Mogami-san." He turned it over and started reading through it so they could leave it at the front desk for an LME courier before they headed for the Tragic Marker shoot.

In another envelope was a weekly celebrity magazine. She raised an eyebrow and took it out. She doesn't read them, and she was sure Tsuruga-san didn't either. It had never been part of the daily delivery before, so it was strange.

She scanned the cover and found one of the features for the issue was exclusive pictures from the Dark Moon Send-Off Party. She started flipping through the pages and smiled at the pictures of the cast and crew.

"Look, Tsuruga-san," She held up the publication to show him. "Some of the pictures from the party!"

Tsuruga-san raised his head a bit in her direction, quickly scanned the glossy pages and said a quick "Oh, that's nice" before turning his attention back to the contract he was going through.

Kyoko suddenly felt a little foolish for being overly enthusiastic about it. Of course Tsuruga-san was sure to have been in many magazines before - even ones that featured him alone.

Well, she thought, feeling kind of indignant. She was a newbie so being featured on a publication was still quite a big thing for her. It was pretty nice of the President to send this. Pouting slightly, she rested her chin on her hand as she flipped to the next page.

"Ah!" she perked up at the next page. Now she knew the real reason why the President sent the magazine. Again, she raised the magazine to her senpai and happily smiled. "Tsuruga-san, you're at number one again."

This time, he didn't even raise his head! He just gave the weekly poll a quick sideways glance and said, "That's good."

What the hell? Kyko puffed her cheeks in annoyance that he didn't even react. Then again, she should know by now that this was because she was now acting as Kyoko. The one who commanded his attention was Setsuka Heel. Anyway, he's always been in number one so that probably wasn't even news for him. Maybe the big surprise would be if he wasn't.

She put the magazine back down on the table, then jumped when Tsuruga-san suddenly raised his head and turned to her.

"You're in number 10," he suddenly said.

"Huh?" she asked cluelessly. "What do you mean?"

Tsuruga-san stretched his arm and pointed at the thing that she didn't read - the female popularity poll. "You're at number 10 in the overall female popularity poll, Mogami-san."

She heard the words, but it hadn't sunk it. She was blankly looking at the name Tsuruga-san was pointing to until she could focus on it better.

"Eeeh?" She half-rose from her sitting position. "What? Why?" Dark Moon just ended, and sure, Box "R" has already been doing promotions for the spring season show but she hadn't done anything that would warrant her a place in the ranking! She simply just wasn't that popular. And this just wasn't any magazine... There are several publications which creates their own polls, but this one has a nationwide scope!

Tsuruga-san smiled and answered, "The poll's cut off was probably the day the special aired or the day after."

"Eh?" She confusedly looked at him.

"You could have probably gotten a much higher ranking if the cut-off was later."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she exclaimed.

He turned to her with a quizzical look and asked, "Why are you so stunned by it? You were very beautiful during the party and it really got you the attention of a lot of people."

She suddenly froze at the comment he gave. He thought she was beautiful the day of the party? Was that his own opinion or just a repetition of the seemingly-endless compliments she received in the days after the party? Either way, it simultaneously unlocked every single lock inside her heart and the clicking echoed in her ears.

Kyoko panicked and thought of what she could do. She wanted to get back into the character of Setsuka but she was kind of busy putting back and fortifying the locks again.

Now she finally understood why she never wanted to hear those kinds of words from him. With other people, she always believed it had something to do with her belief that the Princess Rosa was rubbing off on her. With Tsuruga-san, she just believed it. She believed it, until she lets her rational thinking take over. But now that she thought about it, why would he say something like that? He was obviously displeased about the way she was fixed up and acted the night of the party. So much so that an esteemed senpai from their agency thought what she was doing was an embarrassment.

Now he was giving her comments like that?

Why doesn't he just give her senpai advice like he always does? It was always helpful, and became quite a big factor on the decisions she would make in her career. Now he was giving her off-hand compliments that caused her locks to come undone for the second time in two days.

It was just annoying.

* * *

><p>Ren looked at Mogami-san and waited for some kind of reaction from her... because she always has a reaction for anything.<p>

Anyway, it's not like it was much of a surprise.

"Well," she let out a small smile. "If I was really like that the night of the Dark Moon party, I know that I owe it all to Kijima-san."

"Kijima?" Ren's spirits drooped and he let out a slight frown.

"Of course!" Mogami-san nodded. "I'll have you know, if it wasn't for him, I would have worn my school uniform to the party."

"Eh?" Ren looked at her, slightly dumbstruck. "Your school uniform... Why?"

"Why not?" she asked defensively. "A school uniform is a perfectly appropriate outfit to a formal occasion. Sawara-san said that it's no problem if I attended in it."

It was acceptable, but "Not if you're an actress, Mogami-san," Ren answered.

"Eh?"

"Mogami-san," Ren sighed, putting on his wise-senpai hat because the situation called for it. "Remember what I told you the night you camped out my apartment in the middle of winter because you needed help with Natsu?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Everything you taught me that night was patterned after the most beautiful model in the world."

"N-no... that's not it," Ren rewound and said, "I told you that because you are a celebrity, you shouldn't be running around all by yourself so much. Considering the kind of popularity that you acquired now, if they saw you in your school uniform, they'll know what school you go to and they may start to follow you around. Then, I wouldn't know what to do with you..." Well, he was happy for her because popularity is very important to a celebrity.

"Eh?" she looked alarmed. "I'm sorry!" Then despair shadowed her face. "You're right! I can't stand out too much right now. They might get so far as discovering you play Cain Heel if I make a wrong move!"

"No, Mogami-san," Ren raised his hand. "That's not what I mean." He didn't have any doubt about her ability to act. She was a chameleon-like actress where all the characters she played are different from each other. His statement was actually taken completely out of context.

She stopped freaking out and let her shoulders sag. "I really did something that caught myself and LME unwanted attention, didn't I?"

"No..." Ren shook his head. Oh God... now everything he said was biting him back. He really did think she was very beautiful the night of the party, and this definitely was not unwanted attention. He just couldn't get himself to say it because of who she was with and that the makeover was all thanks to Kijima-san. "You didn't."

She straightened up from her crouching and asked, "I didn't?"

"No."

Mogami-san let out a faint, relieved smile. "Well," she shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't really get too excited. This fluke only happened because I was interviewed alongside you. There's no way this could have happened just because I put on a dress. I'll probably be out by next week."

"What are you talking about?" he frowned. True, Dark Moon has ended and Box "R" wasn't due to start until the spring, but it's not like she didn't have fans, he thought as he recalled that guy from Okinawa who thought she was cute. "Why do you want yourself to be taken out?"

"I-I don't!" she exclaimed. Suddenly flustered, she stammered, "I mean... I don't, but..."

Ren let out a small smile. She was trying so hard not to be so excited about the whole thing. He could tell that she was. He knew that she still believed that she wasn't someone who deserved to be there. But she had the talent, and from the party, she now had the 'look'. "Well, whether you want to or not, as a celebrity, you just have to use this momentum and make it go on. Opportunities like this do not come easily."

"Yes! Yes!" she nodded her head profusely. "I will." Then she jumped when her phone rang.

* * *

><p>Bridge Rock was waiting for their manager to finish talking to one of Sawara-san's assistants before heading to their first interview for the day.<p>

Hikaru however, had something else on his mind. It was actually proposed by one of the talents from the department and he and the guys readily agreed. It was a great idea. However, a lot of them were very busy- most, if not all, were willing to contribute money or bring food and drink, but not the time to organize everything and everyone.

Actually, he and the guys were the same. Then earlier, he bumped into some of the talents and a lot of them commented how no one was coordinating the whole thing, and they were worried that nothing will be done. Sawara-san's 43rd birthday might end up being in the Talent Section office with documents from the shredder for decorations and whatever was left from L.A. Hearts for food, and nobody wanted that.

Hikaru slid his eyes towards Sawara-san and found him on the phone.

"...I know you've already been to Japonet Scoop, Mogami-kun," Sawara-san answered. "But considering that you don't have any work other than the two shows you're currently working on and your Love Me tasks, it's the perfect opportunity to keep yourself in the spotlight and you can also use it to promote Box 'R'."

Kyoko-chan! Hikaru thought. True, she was more of a Love Me Section member than of the Talent Section, but all her work comes from Sawara-san. And she did have the free time... she could help with organizing it... Did she even know about the party?

"OK," Sawara-san nodded. "Japonet Scoop will shoot tomorrow afternoon... At 5 o'clock. There's no conflict with your work, is it?..." He paused. "OK, I will contact them. ... Alright, have a good day."

Hikaru turned to Shin'ichi and Yuusei and whispered, "How about we get Kyoko-chan to help organize the party? I mean, she isn't really doing anything other than Kimagure Rock and Box 'R', right?"

"Dude," Yuusei whispered. "She got into number 10 in the popularity charts this week. LME will likely try to get her a slot for a lot of interviews and appearance. She'll probably be a lot busier than you would think."

"Well, it's not like anyone will know unless someone asks her," Shin'ichi countered. "It's not like you're willing to be the organizer, Yuusei. Kyoko-chan throws great parties, remember the Happy Grateful Party? Everyone knows that it was organized by just her and Maria-chan." Then he grinned at Hikaru and said, "Go ahead, leader. Ask her."

He has always regretted that he commented to the guys that he thought Kyoko-chan was cute, a long time ago, around the first few weeks of Kimagure Rock. The guys - specifically Shin'ichi - have become his biggest helpers and hinderers.

"You guys ready?" Toyokawa-san asked when he appeared in front of them.

The four of them filed out of the Talent Section, and once there, Hikaru pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the phone book to find Kyoko-chan's number.

She answered after three rings. "Hello? This is Mogami."

"Kyoko-chan?" he smiled.

"Hikaru-san! Good morning!"

"'Morning. Listen...I have a favor to ask you..." When the guys grinned widely at him, he added, "Sort of like a Love Me task."

"Sure," she answered almost immediately. "How can I help you?"

"You know that Sawara-san's birthday's coming up, right?"

"Yes, on the tenth of March," she answered.

"Eh? Someone already asked you?"

"Asked me what?" Kyoko-chan answered in a clueless tone. "No, I got that info when I was trying to get into LME."

"Eh?" That was... stange. And a little scary. Before she got into LME? It wasn't like Sawara-san was a celebrity, where that kind of information is announced. "Anyway," he shook his head. "The talents want to throw him a surprise birthday party..."

"That's nice..." she commented.

"Yeah, you're invited of course," he said. "Everyone's willing to pitch in food, drinks, decors, presents, but we're a bit lacking in the coordinating side... Everyone wants to help, but no one is free. Anyway, since you did such a great job at that party last Christmas, I'm just wondering if you'd be able to help with that..."

There was silence on the other line.

This was not looking good, Hikaru thought with his stomach sinking. "I mean, only if you have the time. Otherwise, we could always ask another person from the Love Me Section-"

"No!" Kyoko-chan exclaimed. "I'll help! it's an important occasion, why shouldn't I? If it's just organizing everything together, I'd be happy to do it."

"Great!" Hikaru exclaimed happily. "Um... I'll talk to some of the people from the Talent Section to let them know that you can help coordinate and I'll get back to you."

* * *

><p>"Alright," Mogami-san answered enthusiastically. "Please keep me posted, okay Hikaru-san?"<p>

Ren watched Mogami-san curiously as she ended the conversation with someone she referred to as Hikaru-san. He knew a lot of Hikarus, but which one and why was he talking to her?

"What was that all about?" Ren asked as she plopped back on the table.

"Well, I got a spot in Japonet Scoop for their 'In The Scene Scoop' segment again," she answered, smiling.

Japonet Scoop is a trends show that features several upcoming stars, movies, music, and everything that had anything to do with the entertainment industry. Ren has been there several times, especially when a drama or movie he worked on became really popular. At least, Japonet Scoop would only tape segments of the show, which is less preparation time compared to sitting through and entire half-hour or so of an entire show. Cain Heel's schedule was a little tight for the next few days.

"That's nice," he smiled, remembering the conversation they just had. She was at number 10 - there was no way LME would ever let something like that pass for any of their celebrities. "And what about the other call?"

"Eh?" She looked at him questioningly.

Ren worried that he may have been intruding on personal business and it would look like he was prying so he added, "Well... you said that you were going to work on something and I'm wondering if this might be hard on our schedule..." They'd already ironed out their schedules to integrate their other work, but because of this unprecedented event in Mogami-san's career, they may have to sit down to discuss the schedule again.

"Ah, Sawara-san's birthday is coming up," she answered. "The talents are chipping in for a surprise party."

"Oh, that's really nice of everyone," he smiled. Was it almost March already?

"Anyway, everyone's busy so it's sort of a Love Me task to organize everyone," she explained. "Nothing big that will distract the schedule. I may have to meet with Hikaru-san or some of the other talents to talk about it, but I'll try to squeeze it in on my free time. Maybe I can even do that over the phone."

"Oh, OK." Nothing highly irregular, Ren thought.

"I'm sorry," she apologized meekly. "I know that I could have refused because I have the Setsu work, but it would be suspicious because Hikaru-san is kind of a friend of mine so it would sound strange if I told him I was going to be busy with work when I should only have Box 'R' and-."

"Don't worry about it," Ren cut her off. Mogami-san was a member of the Love Me Section so it was natural that she gets assigned tasks. Also, she loved parties and was great at organizing them. Not to mention, Sawara-san was a friend of his. The head of the Talent Section often complained how he has a seemingly thankless job. "I'm sure Sawara-san will appreciate what everyone in the Talent Section is doing for him. I'm sure that with you organizing it, Sawara-san will be really touched and happy."

Again, Mogami-san looked at him, slightly confused. Ren just smiled resignedly, knowing that Mogami-san was never the type to take compliments well. Ever. That happened just earlier when he complimented that she looked beautiful at the party.

"Anyway," Mogami-san looked down at her phone and checked the time. "We should finish breakfast. I know that we're scheduled to be late again, but we don't want to be that late."

Ren looked down at the clock of her phone and saw the time. "You're right!" He quickly reached for the envelope where the contract came from, signed it, and placed the document back into the envelope.

"But you should finish your breakfast," she instructed.

Ren quickly switched back to the Cain Heel character, reached out and pinched her cheek. "Of course, I'll finish it. My little sister will never let me hear the end of it if I don't."

* * *

><p>The shoot ended late in the afternoon.<p>

The last scene involved BJ cornering Manaka-san's character. He chased her around, forcing blood-curdling screams out of her with his vicious murderous aura before she managed to get away at the last moment. Everyone in the cast and crew were holding their breath, rooting for Manaka-chan to actually get away from BJ.

Taira watched the scene from the side, half-impressed that despite being late yet again for the shoot, Cain Heel managed to pull off the scenes without any NGs caused by him. Yet the other half of him was annoyed because despite his handicap of language barriers and what-not, he was very, very good.

"Are you alright, Manaka-chan?" he asked the lead actress as she walked towards him with her knees shaking.

"Yes," Manaka-chan nodded. She took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I was really scared!" Then she let out a nervous laugh. "At least tomorrow I don't have to be on the shoot."

"Oh yeah," Taira remembered. "You have an interview tomorrow to promote the movie, right?" Now that they were getting closer to completing the movie, the rounds of promotions were starting. Mostly for him and Manaka-chan. Not so much on the rest of the cast and none for Heel-san, who was being used for his dark and mysterious nature.

"Yes, three of them," she cupped her cheeks and said, "I'm kinda nervous. This is the first time I'll be interviewed as a lead actress in a movie." Then she let out a smile and looked up at him. "You also have interviews tomorrow."

"Just one for Japonet Scoop," Taira shrugged. Unlike Manaka-san, he still had to show up for the shoot in the morning. "Anyway, time for some Murasame blood. You want anything?"

"Oh!" she smiled. "Orange juice please. But I don't have my wallet. It's in the dressing room..."

"Don't worry about it," he answered, staring to move away. "You get it the next time, okay?"

"Alright!" Manaka-san let out an adorable smile. "Deal! Thank you!"

Taira moved out of the shooting area into the hallway where the vending machines were. On his way, he crossed paths with Cain Heel's sister who was heading back from where she came. She walked past him without any kind of acknowledgment of his presence.

Taira felt a little slighted. He did like her - a little - and he wasn't really used to being ignored. He turned around, saw her retreating back and called out to her, "Hey."

OK, he thought. This was like the start of the conversation they had yesterday. What the heck was he doing calling out to her as though he didn't know her name. And anyway, even though they were alone again in the hallway, she didn't even seem to notice what he just said.

"Setsu-san!" he said in a firm voice. Now that he'd already called out, he wondered why he bothered. He really didn't have anything to say to her, he just didn't like not being acknowledged. Then he got the funny feeling that he was acting like a childish, clumsy lovestruck boy. It couldn't be. He just met her and the only things he knew about her was that she was cute and had a scary older brother.

She stopped in her tracks, and Taira straightened up, surprised that he managed to get her attention.

His astonishment grew hopeful as she slowly turned around to face him.

However, she was glaring at him when she said, "Don't address me like we're buddies or something."

Eh? Too much? "I would also call you Heel-san, but that would be confusing because people call Heel-san that."

"Well then, you could just think that he and I make up one person." And with that, she turned and left.

* * *

><p>Reino was seated in a waiting room with Vie Ghoul, waiting for their turn in Music Heaven.<p>

There were some delays on the shoot and Reino got bored. He resorted to reaching for a magazine that Kiyora was leafing through earlier and opened it without preamble. When he got to the page where the pictures of the Dark Moon Party were, he scanned it to look for the picture of the scary girl with the scar he adored.

His eyes widened at the picture with Kyoko, looking so... so...

"What the hell is this?"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Notes:<strong>

Cain Heel was due on the set of Tragic Marker on the last week of February according to Act 123 of the manga.

Sawara Takenori's birthday is March 10th.

I'm not really sure what the format of Japonet Scoop is like, but for some reason, my brain has it somewhat in the format of J-Melo from NHK. It's not a variety show where there's a panel of celebrities lined up together, but as a segment-by-segment show of pre-recorded interviews. Not sure, but I don't think it's totally inconceivable. Well, I hope.

Next chapter: Akazame.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Acknowledgments:** Runadaemon for beta-reading and additional stuff I can't get myself to do. :D

I don't own Skip Beat.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Who the hell is this? Reino thought as his eyes trailed the image for any sign of his dark angel.<p>

"What is it, Reino?" his best friend, Miroku, sat beside him. He peered over his shoulder and he exclaimed, "Ah, Kyoko." Then he let out a small laugh. "She really cleans up nicely, doesn't she? I mean, compared to how she usually looks like from that angel from Prisoner and this-"

"That's not Kyoko," Reino said.

"Mm?"

She lost her edge, he angrily thought. The only thing that made her a worthwhile person in his eyes was losing it. She's starting to be just like anyone else.

He needed to see her and whip her back into shape.

* * *

><p>Ren watched in amusement as Mogami-san's eyes began to sparkle before she forced herself to look away from the display case of charms. They were adorned with crystals, sparkling beads, lacy ribbons and everything else that could conjure up a whimsical girly theme.<p>

This was bad, he thought. They were supposed to be in character... and they were out in public too.

Since the shoot ended early, they decided to go out to eat in a department store because they still had appointments to go to. As Tsuruga Ren, he had to go to a fitting for AR Mandy's summer shows; and as Mogami-san, she was meeting up with Ishibashi Hikaru-san so they could talk about the surprise party for Sawara-san.

The hotel was too far out of the way, but they couldn't get around as themselves without attracting attention and possibly blowing their cover as the Heel siblings when they had to explain why they were spending time together.

Anyway, they had just finished eating an early dinner and were walking around a nearby department store. It was the most convenient place to meet up with Miss Jelly Woods and her mobile van so they could change. She will ring them when she got there.

"See anything you like?" he asked teasingly.

"Hmph!" She flipped her hair as she straightened from her crouch. "I wouldn't want anything too girly and frilly."

"Not all of them are girly or frilly," he answered, looking at the glass display case. Then he understood why she had the faraway look in her eye.

The display has an assortment of designs. Most had crystals cut in a similar way to the Corn stone or the Princess Rosa; some silver charms were shaped like stars, crowns and one looked like a shoe; and there were others in fairytale themes, but others in themes that would probably appeal to any kind of girl.

"This one," he said in a clumsy accent and pointed at one with a silver princess crown with little gems at the tips that had a large teardrop-shaped Swarovski crystal at the tip.

"That's a very good choice, sir," the saleslady smiled as she took the charm out of the display case and laid it in front of him. She was obviously looking intimidated and a little scared of him, but she was stuck at the post and had to do her job."The charm is made of sterling silver and the Swarovski gem was imported from-"

"We're not interested," Setsu suddenly said as she reached up to touch his shoulder, obviously wanting to get him away from the counter.

"Are you sure?" he lifted the charm to make her look at it.

Her face froze and stared at it.

Cain grinned as he gave it a little swing and watched her eyes follow the charm. He let out a chuckle. "I thought so..." He turned to the saleslady and stated with deliberate, clumsy Japanese. "We'll take it."

"Tha-Thank you, sir," the saleslady replied and bowed. She took the charm and headed to the counter.

He turned to her and saw an expected, unpleasant face. "What?" he asked dryly.

"Nii-san, you promised not to buy me anything else," she pointedly complained.

"I didn't promise you anything of the sort," he huffed. It really wasn't like her to accept a present without reason. But he really didn't want to get her anything for a specific reason, he just wanted to get something for her. No reason necessary.

"Hmph!" She flipped her hair over her shoulder again and marched back to the clothes display racks.

The Japonet Scoop was tomorrow afternoon. She intended to pick up clothes from her home this evening while he went to his fitting for the upcoming AR Mandy's fall collection. However, Ishibashi Hikaru-san called her as they left the Tragic Marker set and wanted to meet with her. Because of the sudden schedule change, she wouldn't have time to go home and tomorrow's schedule was too tight.

Hence, why they passed by the department store. Balancing the roles of Cain and Setsu with the purpose of Ren and Kyoko was precarious, but it was the only way they could get around without rousing recognition.

Without taking his eyes off her, he moved to the cashier to make the purchase. Once done, he went to her - scaring off early evening shoppers of the ladies' department.

"See anything you like?" he asked she pulled out a pale yellow dress from the racks.

"Not that I'm gonna let you know," she retorted. "It's my fault I didn't pack up a decent dress for a polite event when you told me to bring everything I'll need."

Ah, that was her scenario for the dress dilemma, Ren realized. He picked up the cue and answered, "Well, you hardly packed anything for the trip. You came when I asked you to come with me so at least let me buy the dress-"

"No!" she retorted vehemently. "Nii-san, you already bought me a store full of clothes. I was the irresponsible one when it came to the packing, so I should buy this for myself."

"Still," he argued, "I'm the one who forgot to buy clothes suited for every occasion and just bought you casual wear. I should-"

"No!" she exclaimed. Then she looked around and started towards the direction of the fitting rooms. "Please Nii-san, wait for me here."

Ren smiled as she disappeared behind the door. She's really good at separating things between her and Setsu. This was one of those times when he could have gotten her something for a specific reason: Setsu wanted it; Cain would buy it for her. It was a simple logic that worked perfectly between brother and sister.

She even provided him with the excuse to buy it for her by integrating it into their act, but he knew her better than that. She'd never accept it, especially since he gave her a terrible dressing down for accepting a dress from Kijima.

Cain obediently waited where he was left because going around would be creepy considering that he was in the ladies' department when she came back with the dress in her hand. He placed the little package into his left pocket.

"No?" he asked.

"Too tight-" She stopped, realizing that Setsu had clothes tight to the point of indecency. "I mean," she continued, "It's not something I can wear in the presence of polite company when I'm on my best behavior."

She caught the attention of a passing saleslady and asked if there was a size bigger available.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the saleslady bowed. "We have run out of that size. This is the most popular design we have this month. Every fashionable girl has been buying it off the racks and..."

Cain's phone rang and he discreetly took it out. It was a message from Miss Woods', informing him that she has arrived at the department store's parking lot. He stuffed it back into his pocket and stepped forward. "Then we're not interested anymore," he declared. He took Setsu's hand and said, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Setsuka protested as they made their way out of the area. "Nii-san!" she protested. "I don't have a dress yet!"<p>

"You're not getting anything from there anyway," her stupid older brother declared.

"How would you know?" she argued. "If I don't get something, I'll end up going wearing a rice sack!"

"Since you like getting attention anyway, you might as well go in a rice sack," he said firmly. "Don't be such an idiot," he finished in a soft, frustrated tone that can only be heard by the two of them.

"Who the heck are you calling an idiot?" she retorted as she followed him into an empty elevator. "And I don't like getting atte-"

Then she stopped, remembering something important as the elevator descended to the basement. Something that happened months ago - a piece of advice given to her by Tsuruga-san about catching people's attention. It wasn't that she wanted to get attention, but she needed to as an actress.

She was invited back to Japonet Scoop, most likely because of the popularity she got in the polls which was triggered by how she looked during the Dark Moon part. Tsuruga-san already mentioned something about how she should take advantage of the attention she got and use it to steer the attention to her acting.

She got to where she was right now because she stood out. Not to mention, she was also intending to promote Box "R", which excited Director Anna. She certainly couldn't show up in a dress that everyone already has... that would be too common and she will just blend in rather than stand out. Now that she thought about it, none of her regular clothes would be good enough anymore!

"Are you getting what I'm saying?" he asked when she turned silent while the elevator descended.

"A little bit," she answered softly as they stepped out of the elevator and she followed him to the parking space where Ten-san's trailer was waiting for them.

"There's nothing wrong with your current style," he added. "You're fine just the way you are and the simplicity really suits you. But when you are in front of the public, you need to get yourself noticed without doing something outrageous and scandalous."

Actually, the problem now was that she really had nothing to wear and no idea what to get. "Maybe I could just borrow something from the LME Costume Department again," she thought out loud as they entered the trailer.

"You could do that," Tsuruga-san answered. "It's constantly being updated because designers and costumers want celebrities to wear their clothes."

She looked hopefully at him., "If... If I talk to President Takarada, he might let me come in later tonight or early tomorrow morning before work starts." She bit her lower lip and asked, "Would you mind going with me, Tsuruga-san? It'd be out of the way and all, but it's be weird if I left the hotel without you."

Tsuruga-san let out smile and answered, "Of course, I don't mind." Then he started towards the corner of the make-up table where his dark brown, Tsuruga Ren wig sat. "Anyway, we need to hurry. My appointment will be in 45 minutes."

He took off his long coat and pulled something out of the pocket. "What about this?"

Kyoko was in the act of taking off her blond wig and turned to the package he held out. Then she gave him an exasperated look. "You really bought that?"

"Why not?" he asked, opening the little package and holding out the charm to her. "You obviously like it. Why wouldn't I have bought it?"

What the hell? He really was an idiot brother! She couldn't point out anything she liked without getting him to buy it? He had no sense when it came to her - Setsuka, she corrected. While this was obviously the Cain character, Kyoko wanted the practical and sensible Tsuruga-san she knew. Where the hell did he pick up such a doting attitude anyway?

She let out a sigh and reached for it. She really did like it when she saw it on the display case. While it appealed to her personally because of the crown and the teardrop gem was shaped just like the Princess Rosa, she was playing Setsuka so she gravitated toward the darker color.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't see why you had to get the one with the princess theme," she complained. Setsuka Heel was nothing like a princess.

"Because," Tsuruga san answered matter-of-factly, "you are my princess."

Kyoko almost had the charm in her hand when he said that. The impact of his words hit her so hard she was rendered immobile. Again, the clicking of opening locks filled her ears.

His princess. What the hell? No way. Not her and not in a million years. Tsuruga-san had a girl he was in love with so she should be his princess. She looked up at him quizzically and he looked quite surprised as well.

"I mean," he smoothly clarified. "Of course you are." Then he reached his hands to her face and squeezed both cheeks. "Who else would be my little princess if not Setsu?" he childishly answered, clumping his cheeks like clay as the charm tapped on her cheek.

Ah, Kyoko thought behind the sounds of protest she made at the intensity of his mushing up her cheeks. She didn't realize they were still acting. Of course the princess - his princess, would be Setsuka Heel. Not her.

Now that she thought about it, Setsuka would be kinda like a princess... in a different sense of the word. The Heels were obviously very wealthy - they had to be to have children as lacking in common sense as these two. She had a dark prince-type of older brother who doted on her at the price of his well-being (not having proper shoes), safety (Seaweed Head and his goons) and pride (standing in the ladies department while she went shopping) just to accompany her. Now that she thought that far, she let go of her imagination and visualized Setsuka Heel's room at home. It's got to have a princess bed! With black silk sheets instead of pink satin, with hard rock music blaring, shopping bags strewn all over the place with her big brother chained in a corner for her own personal enjo-

"Do you want it or not?" Cain-nii-san broke into her thoughts, withdrawing his hands from her cheeks and holding out the charm again.

"Of course I do," she huffingly answered, grabbing the charm.

She smiled wistfully at it as she held it in her hands. It was slightly heavy. The sterling silver crown was well-crafted - it reminded her of the kind of crown a princess wore in a picture book she read as a child. Happy, she took a small step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist for a quick hug. "Thank you, nii-san!"

Ten-san suddenly appeared, opening the partition that separated the work area and the driver's seat, just as Kyoko stepped back.

"Hi, you two!" the muse greeted perkily, then went right to business. "Ren-chan, your clothes are hanging in the changing room." Then she turned to Kyoko and said, "Let's fix that hair, Kyoko-chan."

"Thank you, Miss Woods," Tsuruga-san smiled at her then went off to disappear behind the door.

"Jeez," Ten-san shook her head. "Ren-chan's always so formal. Five years of being his hairdresser and I'm still 'Miss Woods' to him."

"Tsuruga-san is always very polite," Kyoko good-naturedly answered, sitting on the chair as she pulled her wig off. She was still holding the charm and smiling down at it when she suddenly felt Ten-san's fingers through her hair. "Ah, Ten-san," she looked up at her and looked at her through the small mirror. "It's alright. I can fix my hair myself. I don't really have an important appointment or anything."

"No!" She shook her head firmly. "Your hair's been under that wig all day and is plastered to your head." She reached out for a hairbrush and some mousse. "I'll teach you how to volumize your hair, OK?"

"OK," Kyoko smiled and nodded briefly. "Thank you very much."

As Ten-san treated her hair and gave her instructions in between, Kyoko looked down at the charm and smiled again.

She carefully took the tag off. What a shame it would be, giving everything up at the end of the shoot. Everything that Cain-nii-san bought for her - the clothes, the make-up, and even the pretty charm was going to be returned to Tsuruga Ren at the end of this all. If not him, likely the LME Costume Department.

Still, she thought resignedly. It was going to be hers in the meantime, so she quickly stuck the charm onto her phone. Then she looked at it and smiled. Other than the dark color, it looked a little like Princess Rosa but much lighter in comparison.

Somewhere at the back of her head, she wondered why that was.

* * *

><p>Sho pouted in his seat as he lamented his lack of progress in finding Kyoko.<p>

Things were much easier when she was still working on Dark Moon. His producer, Asami Haruki, was very good friends with the drama's director, Ogata Hiroaki, which made him and Sho acquaintances.

With his connection with Director Ogata, he could waltz in and out of the Dark Moon set without anyone bothering him. Now Dark Moon is over and she was now working on another drama called Box "R" and he didn't know anyone from there. Well, he once worked with Maruyama Rumi so they were kind of acquaintances.

Either way, he shook his head. She won't be coming to work there until the day after tomorrow. That was just too late for him. Short of charging her agency to check if she was there, he had to wait. And he couldn't let that happen. He can't let Kyoko see just how eager he was to see her.

"Shoko-san," he turned his manager. "Are you sure that's all you know about Kyoko right now?"

"That's it," Shoko-san firmly answered. "You have to wait until the day after tomorrow." Then she stretched. "It's just as well. You have a full schedule tomorrow. You don't really want to cut your reunion with Kyoko-chan short, do you?"

Sho gave her an annoyed look.

She didn't have to make it sound so poetic and stupid. Anyway, she was right, Kyoko would never approve of blowing off work. He really did have to wait until the day after tomorrow and use the muscle of his influence to get inside the Box "R" set.

With a slight sound of annoyance, he looked at his manager and asked, "What am I doing again tomorrow?"

Shoko-san itemized his schedule for tomorrow. It starts off with a meeting with the president of Akatoki then off to a planning meeting for a tour, then a short meeting with Asami-san for next month's single, then a shoot for...

"What am I doing in Japonet Scoop again?"

"Isn't that supposed to be good?" Shoko-san shrugged. "They listened to your single and think it's going to be the next big thing."

"Guess so..."

* * *

><p>"Thank you for the ride, Tsuruga-san," Mogami-san bowed as the car Miss Woods took with her - supplied by LME - drove them out of the parking lot for a five minute drive in front of the AR Mandy work studio at the second floor of their main store.<p>

"Sure," he nodded. "Where are you meeting Ishibashi-san anyway?"

She looked around and smiled as she spotted and pointed at a coffee shop across the street and a little down the road. "There. In an hour."

"Then, while you're waiting, why don't you come inside with me," Ren pointed behind him at the AR Mandy store.

"Can I?" She tilted her head to the side.

"It's not a matter if you can or can't," he laughed. "It depends if you want to or not." She looked hesitant so he said, "It'll be much better than sitting alone in a cafe for an hour." When she still hesitated, he took the initiative and gently led her inside by the hand. "Let's go then. We can't stay out here for very long."

"Eh?"

Inside, they were greeted by the sales staff and escorted towards the stairs that led to the designer's studio. Ren discreetly let go as she moved to follow the staff.

As they walked to the second floor work area, Mogami-san slowly came to a stop. Ren looked across the boutique in the direction she was looking and caught sight of a dress on a mannequin. It was a white lacy dress with a built-in belt of the same material. The neckline was V-shaped, but not low-cut, and the sleeves were long, but made of thin, gauzy lace, so the wearer wouldn't get too hot wearing it. The dress bunched at the front of the dress where the belt made a unique design, and then fell gracefully to a little lower than mid-thigh. She had a good eye, Ren thought. He visualized her in the dress and thought that it would look good on her.

He smiled and bent down. "Do you like that dress?"

Surprised, she turned to him and let out an uneasy laugh. "It's very pretty."

"Excuse me," he asked the design staff member who was sitting next to the mannequin. He pointed at the dress and asked, "Is that dress done? It looks pretty cute."

"Yes, Tsuruga-kun," the staff member smiled. "It's not going to be part of the show or any shoots though. It's just a prototype of one we'll be selling in the stores starting next month."

"Then," he gave his best charming smile. "Can she try it on?" he asked, pointing at her.

"Eh?" Mogami-san let out an exclaim in surprise.

"Sure," the designer nodded. "We'll have to ask the head designer though. And she'll have to try the stock we have in the supply room, not that."

"Ren-chan!" the head designer greet him. "On time as always. If all my other models were like you..."

"It is part of my schedule so I have to show up," he answered good-naturedly. "Um..." he pointed at the dress Mogami-san was admiring. "That dress. Can she try it on? Kyoko-san has an interview tomorrow and has been worrying about not having something wear yet."

"Kyoko-san?" the head designer turned to her and Mogami-san jumped, looking like a cornered rabbit. A smile spread across the designer's face and he said, "Of course! I think it would look very good on her. Anyone with her figure who could pull off a complicated dress like the one she wore in the Dark Moon party would look nice in it." He called for his assistant and gave him instructions for the size.

Ren felt Mogami-san's small hand tug at his shirt. "N...no, Tsuruga-san. It's fine."

"You still don't have a dress for tomorrow, do you?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "But I already called President Takarada and he's going to meet us at LME later tonight to give me access to the Costume Departme-"

"That dress is not going to be in the Costume Department," he reasoned.

"I was just admiring it!" she reasoned back. "Just because I think it's pretty doesn't mean I want to get it."

"Because you admire it means you like it," he answered. "What's wrong with getting it for yourself if you like it?"

"I can't afford something like it even if I wanted it," she hissed in a hushed tone only he could hear.

Oh yeah, he thought. Mogami-san was on a budget. "Then let me get it for you."

"No," she answered shortly. "May I remind you that you were the one who told me that when a man who buys a girl clothes, he has an ulterior motive?"

Oh that, he thought in exasperation. He did tell her that. As Setsu, she accepted everything happily all because it came from her older brother. As Mogami-san, she was haunted by what he angrily told her about accepting Kijima-san's kindness. "I'm not going to use money," he argued. "I have a lot of store credit left from working on shows."

Then her face turned demonic, a dark cloud hovered over her and she said in a low, ominous voice, "As long as it has monetary value, it's still the same thing."

Da-damn it, he thought. She really remembers everything he tells her. "Mogami-san, can't a guy do something for a girl out of the kindness of his heart?"

"No," she shook her head sharply. "He can't. Especially it being you, you weirdo playboy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he raised an eyebrow. Playboy again? Then he shook his head. "Anyway, I did tell you that if you encountered problems like this, you should go to me. Don't think of it as anything else other than a senpai trying to help out a kohai and the dress is a congratulations on making it to number 10."

Mogami-san shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're being kind and I'm being difficult, am I?"

Ren sighed. "No need to apologize. It's fine."

"Thank you," she suddenly said.

Ren turned to her and smiled. "You're welcome."

"Here you go, Kyoko-san!" the head designer interrupted their conversation as the assistant walked behind him with the dress, wrapped in plastic, hanging on a hanger.

"Um, sir..." Mogami-san said, raising her hands, flustered. "I really thank you for the consideration, but I really don't need the dress."

"Why?" he looked confused. "Didn't you say you have a thing for tomorrow and you didn't have an outfit?"

"Yes... well..." she meekly reasoned. "That dress is really, really pretty but I'm afraid it's out of my price range..."

"Oh," the designer said. "Well, we can't sell you this dress anyway."

Mogami-san looked surprised. "Eh? Yo.. you can't?"

"No," he laughed. "This is something we are going to sell to stores next month. I thought you meant that you needed to loan the dress."

"Can I... do that?" Kyoko asked slowly.

"That depends," the designer teased. "Where are you going anyway?"

"Well, it's going to be a short interview for Japonet Scoop..." she answered.

"A trends show about the up-and-coming, I like it." He took out the dress from the plastic wrapping and held it out to her. "Won't you try it on?"

Ren watched as Mogami-san's stance relaxed. "Sure," she answered.

She was led to the dressing room the models used.

"Oh my!" the head designer looked at his watch. "We're now late and running on model time!" He gave Ren a small push towards the racks which was labeled with his name on it and said, "Here you go, Ren-chan!"

Ren quickly went to work. He took a pair of pants and the shirt to match it and went into the fitting room beside Mogami-san's. He stepped out the same time she did. He smiled down at her and evaluated her dress. "It looks really nice on you," he said.

"Tha-thank you," she answered shyly.

Being in the middle of work, he turned around, but then he felt her hand on his arm. "Tsuruga-san."

Ren's heart skipped. Mogami-san was never the touchy-feely type - unless she was acting like Setsu. "Y-yes?" he asked, turning back to her.

She lifted herself on her toes and stretched to touch his face with her hand. Ren felt his heart slamming against his chest while he held his breath as Mogami-san touched his hair.

"You really need to be conscious about your wig when changing clothes," she whispered, tucking a piece of dark hair under his dark brown wig.

* * *

><p>Kyoko crossed the street with a paper bag from AR Mandy with her loaned dress in hand.<p>

She ended up staying much longer than she intended. She wanted to arrived to meet up with Hikaru-san at least five minutes earlier and now she was five minutes late. The on-site designers had to baste the dress a little because it looked a little loose just under her breasts - she had to return it. She said that she was OK with it, but the head designer looked like he was twisting in agony until they worked on it. After, they made her fit it again and again until the head designer was satisfied.

She was still a little touched by the gesture from Tsuruga-san. He never got to buy her the dress but he paved the way for getting her a dress for Japonet Scoop. If it wasn't for him, she would be crunching her time with Hikaru-san just so she doesn't keep President Takarada waiting at LME.

She entered the coffee shop and easily spotted Hikaru-san in a cap sitting in a corner.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she huffed.

"It's alright," Hikaru-san smiled. "It was only five minutes. Out shopping?" He eyed the paper bags she was carrying.

She nodded. "I needed a dress for my Japonet Scoop appearance tomorrow." Then she started rummaging through her purse for her notebook and pen. "So about the party..."

Hikaru-san laughed. "Are you in some kind of hurry, Kyoko-chan?"

"Uh, no..." Tsuruga-san said he'll be along in about an hour and a half, but she can take her time since they didn't need to pass by the office anymore. "Not really."

"Then let's get something first," he said. "I've been up since five in the morning so I really need some coffee." He stood up and smiled down at her. "You want anything?"

"Ah, let me come with you," Kyoko stood up from her chair as well. The last episode of Kimagure Rock was only a couple of days ago and they will be seeing each other again in a couple more, but since she has been living as Setsuka Heel, it felt as though she hadn't seen him in a long time. She really missed walking around with him to get food and drinks.

"Sure," Hikaru-san nodded and they got in line at the cashier. "Anyway, while we're waiting, let's start talking about the party." Then he let out a thoughtful pause. "Um... It's going to be after work on the 10th of March. One of the talents managed to talk to the manager of L.A. Hearts and we're gonna have it there. You may want to talk to him..."

As Hikaru-san talked, Kyoko felt herself relax. The moment Hikaru-san came into sight, she felt totally at ease. It was the first time she felt like she can be totally herself. Whenever she was with Cain heel or Tsuruga-san, she felt like she was walking on eggshells - her consciously working to keep up with Tsuruga-san's acting, her feelings that were making themselves more aware to her and the annoying fact that he can easily open the locks she has fortified with just a simple gesture.

Kyoko tuned back into Hikaru-san's chatter and let herself smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Notes<strong>

I apologize for the delay, if you were waiting for an update. I was busy the whole week so there. This was supposed to be Japonet Scoop chapter, but I realized I made a mistake in the timing of the previous chapter so I had to adjust the story as needed. This chapter sets up for something in a future chapter. If I don't put it up, this story may fall apart.

Next chapter: the Japonet Scoop chapter.


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